Wolf of the Seas
by RedQrow
Summary: The Golden Age of Piracy has quite a few grand names to choose from. But there's a new pirate on the scene who wants to make her own name. Join Bianca and the White Wolf Pirates as they make their way through the Grand Line and discover their own adventure. Forget the One Piece, there's fun to be had.
1. Across the Tides

**Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own One Piece. I do however own most of the characters in this story.**

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The North Blue, an open sea filled with enough adventure to sate the average appetite for an entire lifetime. Plenty of islands to see, cultures to observe, and people to meet too. But for some the call of adventure drew them further than this sea could ever take them. One such person who felt this call was Otto Bianca. She was a girl who looked for the challenges in life, and refused to accept anything less than her own path.

The wind was blowing to the east across the sea that morning. Bianca took the tiller in her left hand and caught the breeze directly in the single sail of her ship. The tiny rowboat, for it could be called little else even with the sail attached haphazardly, took off like a bolt of lightning as soon as the wind kissed the sails.

Bianca let out a joyful shout as the waves kicked up against her boat as she rocketed forward. Her keen eyes had caught sight of an island nearby, the first she had seen in roughly three days. Despite her skills at the helm, the girl was no navigator, and she considered herself lucky to have made it as far as she did. This would likely be the last stop she could make on the poor pile of wood she had managed to set sail with from her home island two weeks prior. When the thought crossed her mind a flash of a frown crossed her face before it reverted back into a grin.

Even if this would be her last adventure with the little boat she would be happy that it had carried her so far. Sure, it wasn't the Grand Line, but it had gone farther than she had hoped.

As the island drew closer Bianca could make out the unmistakable shapes of buildings along its coast. More importantly, however, she could see a few huge manors hanging over the rest of the town on a large cliff just beyond the town. A marine base flanked these buildings, and at once Bianca could tell what kind of place she was walking into.

"Great," She said to herself, "Just like home."

The island was most likely being lauded over by a couple of bureaucrats with ties, no matter how faint, to the World Government. Still, that wouldn't deter the young woman. There had to be someone around here who would join her crew, and hopefully that person would also happen to have a ship. Really, all she could do was hope though. If neither of those things existed on this island, then her journey was going to be over before it began.

Almost as soon as Bianca stepped off her ship onto the village docks it began to sink under the waves. She said a quiet prayer of thanks to her ship for its help in getting her this far before continuing on.

The port was quite active. Many men were passing by Bianca carrying crates of goods from ship to dock and vice versa, and there were quite a few ships hauling freight it seemed. She had never seen so many ships before, and many were bigger than any she had even imagined. The world itself already seemed much bigger than she had imagined. Every island she had visited prior had been only about as populated as her own, but this one seemed more like a center of commerce than a small town. She could only imagine what other islands she might come to see.

The workers provided an excellent distraction for Bianca to slip into the town itself. The shouting and jostling that covered the port had easily disguised a lone girl as if she were naught but a mouse. Once in town Bianca could see just how different the place was. Her own home, Rupa Village, could never come close to the scope of this place. In Rupa there was only one building that was higher than two stories, and that was Saint Adalgo's summer home. Around here they seemed to be more common than a single floor home. The streets were covered in stone, not dirt. The people dressed in the kind of clothes Bianca expected to see at a party in the middle of the day as if it was normal. They didn't dress to farm like she always had, but instead dressed casually from the start. Shops lined the main road that led to the town square, and various fountains spewed forth waterworks on the side roads.

"What a strange place." Bianca mumbled. Then a befuddled look crossed her face. "Where would I find someone to join my crew around here? Everyone looks like they would rather shop and eat than fight."

It was a fair judgement. Even as she stood to the side of the road most people would brush past her with only inches to spare from completely running over her. She could see it on their faces that they blamed her for getting in their way, and not the other way around. If it weren't for her own value of determination Bianca might have given up right then. But she had been raised far better than that.

With a fire in her eyes she clapped her hands together. "Okay, so if no one in town is going to fit the bill, I'll head up. After all, everyone knows what the nobles like to keep locked away."

To Bianca, manors and a marine base meant people high in power, and that typically mean nobles. Maybe not Celestial Dragons since they so rarely left Mareijoise, but perhaps someone with enough clout to be keeping the worst kept secret in the world. Everyone knew the nobles kept slaves, but no one ever admitted to the act. And where there were slaves there was bound to be a former adventurer. And even if there wasn't Bianca could still piss of the hoity toity men by freeing their illegal "property".

It took around three hours for Bianca to make it up the road that led to the manors on the cliff above the village. Along the way she had met quite a few disheveled villagers, but these ones seemed quite different from the ones she had seen below. In some ways they seemed far more tired, almost defeated in a way. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something about them that almost made her want to help them. She could put more thought into that later though.

As she drew closer to the manors she could see guards running the length of a wall that separated these decadent homes from the rest of the town. There was a beaten dirt path to the left with a sign that indicated it was the path to the marine base. Despite the dead grass that indicated more than a few visitors, something told Bianca that no one had been up that path in quite some time.

'Have they really given up hope of help?' She thought to herself. 'Even if there are some high ranking nobles here it shouldn't keep the marines from lending a hand.'

The more Bianca looked around the island the more she became convinced that something sinister was beneath the shroud of commerce and luxury she had seen in the town below. Yet again, however, she had to place those thoughts aside. Already there were armed guards with their sights on her as she approached the manor gates, and Bianca was pretty sure they didn't appreciate her company. One of them stepped forward and aimed his rifle square at her head.

"The lords are not accepting visitors." He said.

Bianca looked up over the wall as if she hadn't heard the guard. The buildings beyond were certainly of a high caliber, but something caught her eye. Atop the roof of the furthest building stood a man, but he was no ordinary guard. His red coat fluttered in the wind like a bloodied flag against the blue sky. Something about his presence put Bianca off too. Like her, she expected he was not meant to be inside the compound either.

"Hey!" The guard shouted.

Bianca turned her attention to him at last.

"Why aren't they letting people in?" She asked.

The guard sneered at her behind his rifle. "Because refuse like you do not deserve their time. Now leave."

Bianca only shook her head. "Can't do that. See, I have an appointment to keep."

The other guards unshouldered their own rifles and drew closer to the intruder. The one at the head pulled back the hammer on his own.

"You have no appointment here." He said.

Again, Bianca shook her head. "But that's where you're wrong." She said. "I have a date with destiny today, and it's important I don't keep her waiting."

With that she leapt into action. In a fluid motion she ducked under the rifle and jammed her fist as hard as she could into the guard's abdomen. The air left his body quickly, and for a brief instant everything seemed serene. The moment was shattered as the man flew back as if he had been kicked by a horse. His limp body flew over the wall and crashed somewhere beyond Bianca's field of vision.

Bianca's smile grew even wider as the guards around her took careful aim at her. She could feel the slight sense of fear that no pervaded their senses. It was going to be a good fight.


	2. A Meeting Inside the Manor

The hardest part of the scuffle was making sure that none of the guards actually fired a shot. Bianca needed the element of surprise if she was going to sneak into the compound, and a single crack of a rifle shot would alert everyone nearby of an issue. To this end she had to be quick, and quick she was. She became a blur that danced among her enemies, and like a whisper she dispatched her foes.

A punch here, a kick there, and six guards lay crumpled in a heap around her. Each was alive, but they would wake up later with horrible bruises all over their bodies. That was business in a sense, but Bianca could not help but feel a little remorse for the guards. They had no way of knowing what they were in for when she showed up on their doorstep.

Judging by the position of the sun Bianca could guess that it was around mid-afternoon. That would mean that the bureaucrats would be attending to their afternoon business matters, and that would leave the slaves to do their busy work in areas out of her way. Areas were there would be no one to see her.

But before she made her move Bianca took one more look over the wall to the same roof she had seen the man atop before. Low and behold he had vanished as if he had never been there to begin with. Bianca huffed. She hated people who ran off before she could get a word in, but there was hardly anything she could do about it.

The wall was rather easy to scale, and it only took one jump for Bianca to find herself on the other side. To her left were the manors, but to her right was a sight she took in graciously. From the cliff she could see out over the sea for hundreds of miles. She could see the port filled with busy workers and the town brimming with activity. It was a spectacle to behold.

"Pity this view is wasted on these fat cats." She spat.

Everything about this situation annoyed her. Despite not knowing the full story yet, Bianca knew that where there were nobles there was trouble. They took the best of everything for themselves, and left the scraps for everyone else; if they ever left scraps that is. She remembered how Saint Adalgo and his ilk would treat everyone in town like servants back home. And everyone was forced to go along with it or else they could lose their lives. She had seen that happen too.

It may not have been the same as taking revenge on Adalgo himself, but Bianca would take great satisfaction in ruining the days of even the lesser nobles.

The nearest manor was the smallest. A vibrant, purple home, but it was clearly different from the rest. It was dwarfed by the structure next to it, a red manor covered in windows from top to bottom. The manors only got bigger from there, but Bianca knew she wouldn't have time search them all. With a careful hand she pointed at each one in turn.

"Eenie meenie miny mo." She counted off.

Her hand landed on the second largest manor. It was a massive, four story home painted a luxurious gold that seemed to radiate sunlight. Bianca could tell that whoever lived there had expensive tastes, which meant they had just what she was looking for. Of all the homes, the two largest were the most likely to have slaves if any of them did, and Bianca knew at least one of them would.

With exaggerated stealth she rounded the building until she reached the back where she located an open window on the second story. With a moderate jump she managed to grab onto the windowsill and pulled herself inside.

When she landed inside, unceremoniously on her butt of course, she heard the tiniest of terrified squeaks. Standing up, Bianca looked around for the source of the noise. She was a little tall, but she didn't expect to have to look so far down to find her target. The noise had, apparently, come from a little girl covered in dust which Bianca assumed had come from the various surfaces she had been cleaning.

Around this little girl's neck was an iron collar with a rather strange device attached to it. Bianca knew the device all too well. A bomb collar. The insidious devices were meant to explode should the slave attempt to escape. Following the length of chain attached to it, she could see that it was attached to a wall not too far away giving the girl only about ten feet of movement away from it. Any further and the pins would activate causing a rather gruesome event.

Bianca held a finger to her lips and got low to speak to the girl.

"Hey there. You seem like you're not having very much fun." She whispered.

The girl seemed scared, but not utterly terrified. She had only been recently made a slave so there was still a spark of freedom in her heart. All the same, she was wary of the stranger.

"No ma'am, I am having fun. Cleaning is what I do because I love to clean." She mumbled back.

Bianca sighed. The girl was clearly afraid of wrath from her masters or any like them if she spoke out against her work. She had seen the same thing too many times.

"You don't have to be scared, kid. I'm not one of them. I promise, I'm not going to hurt you." Bianca said.

The girl seemed to relax for a moment, but tensed up soon after. Her eyes became suspicious.

"What are you doing here? Are you a thief?" She questioned.

Bianca took a moment before nodding. "Yes, I am a thief."

The girl backed away slightly, but the sound of her chain tightening stopped her in her tracks. Bianca quickly held up her hand as a sign innocence.

"I'm a thief who steals illegal things from bad people. And right now, I'm here to steal you and all your friends so I can set you free." She said.

The girl looked at her in disbelief.

"B-but you can't set us free. You'll get in trouble." She whispered loudly.

Bianca shrugged as if it was no big deal. The girl's jaw dropped to the floor. Who was this woman?

"Trouble isn't something I'm worried about." Bianca said. "I'm a pirate after all."

The girl looked at her as if she had gone crazy.

"You don't look like a pirate. And pirates don't help slaves." She said.

Bianca huffed. "What would you know about pirates? You're just a kid."

Despite the seriousness in her voice Bianca was still smiling. She offered her hand out to the little girl. After a moment of tension the girl took her hand. Bianca pulled her closer with a gentle tug, and she took another look at the collar. It was very sophisticated, and she was neither a bomb maker or a locksmith so the options of defusing the collar or picking the lock were out of the question. She also didn't want to break it open. Sure, she was strong enough thanks to her special abilities, but she wasn't sure how long it would be before the device detonated or if she could pull it away in time. There was also the noise to consider. Only one option remained.

"Tell me, kid, do you know where I can find the keys to this thing?" Bianca asked.

"Alice." The girl said.

"Pardon?" Bianca said, puzzled.

"My name is Alice." The girl said. "I figure if you're really going to free us then you won't mind if I use my name."

Bianca looked at Alice with a sort of pride. She tussled the child's hair with her palm.

"Of course I don't mind." Bianca said. "Good on you for using your name. Don't ever let people take who you are from you."

The girl seemed both shocked and happy, as if she had expected something else from the supposed pirate. She then pointed down a flight of stairs just down the hall.

"The man who owns us has an office on the third floor. It has big doors, but no one else knows what's inside. I bet he keeps the keys there." She said.

Bianca nodded. "What about the others? Do you know where they are?" She said.

"They're all over the house, but some of my friends are in the basement. That's where the master keeps them when he is upset." Alice said.

Bianca wanted to shout in rage, but she kept herself in check.

"Alright," She said as she let go of Alice. "I'm going to go get those keys. You stay here and keep cleaning as if I was never here, but I'll be back."

Alice hesitated before nodding. Bianca knew that the girl partly expected her to never return, but she would just have to prove her wrong.


	3. Something Unexpected

The third floor was even more decadent than the second from what Bianca had seen. Imported furniture lined every open space. A great chandelier hung from the ceiling made of many crystal fragments delicately placed to dazzle the eye. Even the carpet she walked on seemed far more expensive than any she had seen before.

"Only the rich would spend their beri on something so dumb." She whispered.

She had looked around the first two hallways, but found no sign of any large doors. Oddly enough, she had not encountered another person either. It made Bianca quite wary, but she didn't want to go into full suspicion just yet. She could risk using her abilities to try and make her search easier, but that could also go wrong. She had to rely on her own instincts for the moment.

When she turned down the third hallway she had begun to grow tired of the search for the mysterious door. Light filtered in on her right through a few windows, and upon looking outside she could see that the sun had gone down quite a bit since she had clambered inside the manor. She needed to pick up the pace.

As quietly, but also as quickly as she could, Bianca took off down the hall in search of the door. She had to apply the brakes quickly though when she almost ran past it.

Just as Alice had said, the door was massive. It was a gilded door covered in gold leaf, and only one room could possibly lay beyond. Bianca took a moment to think about what she should do. No doubt the room would have people inside, but the people would probably be nobles of some kind. Violence would be the obvious answer, but she wasn't as crazy as some other pirates on the seas these days. Intimidation worked too, though.

With the start of a plan formed in her mind Bianca kicked open the door with all of her strength. The hinges separated from the wood and the door came crashing to the floor on the other side.

Sitting in the office on the other side were two men in suits, and a third in a white shirt and pants marking him as a marine, but without the iconic jacket he was clearly not someone high up. The man behind the desk had the same facial features that a lot of nobles shared. Large lips, puffed up cheeks, and an annoying look in his eyes that never seemed to go away. Thanks to his dress, however, Bianca could tell he was not

The marine was the first to react, immediately pulling a pistol and aiming it towards the door. Bianca leered at the man, but he did not fire. The noble and his company stood up and turned their gaze to her as well.

The man behind the desk pointed incredulously at Bianca.

"What is that commoner doing here? Kill her, lieutenant!" He screamed.

Bianca's hands shot up.

"Wait!" She cried.

The marine hesitated, and the bullet remained unfired. Bianca let out a sigh of relief. Despite her strength she wasn't bulletproof.

"Before we all do something we might regret I want to know…" She said.

The three men seemed to stop at her casual statement. They leaned in slightly as if they were trying to hear every syllable of her question.

"…where do you keep the keys for those bomb collars?" She finished.

The nobleman guffawed at the question. How dare this commoner enter his home and question his treatment of the lesser folk.

"Lieutenant, shoot her now or I will have your head too!" He screamed.

"Well, diplomacy was worth a shot." Bianca said.

Before the execution order was carried out, however, Bianca sprung into action. With speed akin to a bullet she rushed the marine, and in one kick sent him flying into the bookshelf behind the desk. The nobleman shrieked in surprise, and his business partner quickly fled the room. Bianca didn't have the time to grab him, but she knew now she was really on the clock.

With the marine unconscious Bianca turned to the nobleman. She took four confident steps towards him and held out her hand. A look of absolute, but contained, rage was on her face. In those moments she had let loose her hatred for these fools who dared to keep slaves. She hated them with all her being, and would gladly kill them if she was of lesser constitution.

"Keys." She said, her tone incredibly grave.

The nobleman, clearly fearing for his life, scrambled around in the drawers until his hands emerged with the keys. He placed them into her hands, and no sooner did Bianca grant him a quick knockout with an uppercut. The man sprawled out onto the floor as blood leaked from his nose. The sight made her quite happy, but she would have to revel in it later.

She took off in a mad dash out the room back towards the second floor. With her escapee on the loose she now had to worry about time even more. No doubt he would alert the marines as soon as possible, and she wasn't totally sure she would have the energy to fight so many.

As soon as Bianca reached the second floor she found Alice almost right where she left her. The girl was cowering in the corner, but perked up as soon as she saw Bianca.

"You came back!" She cried, no longer caring about sound.

Bianca nodded and produced the keys. The girl was almost ecstatic, but she waited until she was unlocked from her collar to wrap herself around her savior. Bianca gave her a pat on the head, but set her down quickly.

"No time for celebration yet, Alice. Did you see a man run by?" Bianca asked.

"Yeah, he looked really scared, but mad too. What happened?" Alice said.

"No time for explanations." Bianca started. She passed along half the keys to Alice. "Take these and go free anyone on the four floors. I'll go to the basement and help anyone I find. Tell everyone to meet in the main room, and make sure no one goes outside. Understood?"

Alice nodded before taking off.

Bianca made for the basement as quickly as she could. Finding it took longer than she would have liked, but in passing Alice had managed to point it out to her as she was helping other slaves. The smells that came from the darkened pit quickly told Bianca what she was in for, but she had seen worse and would get through it well.

In the stone basement were rows of chains and cages each more worn than the last. Clearly whoever the man was that was now lying unconscious three floors above he was a cruel master. Some of the cages had bones inside which indicated a painful truth that Bianca tried to put out of her mind.

"Hello!" She called. "Is anyone down here?"

It was silent, but Bianca knew there were people too afraid to speak down here.

"Please," She said. "My name is Otto Bianca. I'm working with the little girl from upstairs, Alice. We're freeing everyone. If you're down here please let me help you."

Still silence. Bianca was ready to simply start rushing around until she tripped on some poor soul when a faint voice rang through the darkness.

"We're here." It said.

Bianca rushed towards the voice, and there she found them. Three poor women around the same age as herself huddled behind an older fellow much the same as her own grandfather. The seemed half starved, and many bruises and closed wounds marked their exposed skin. Resisting the urge to curse and shout in rage Bianca quickly set to unlocking all of their collars, and passing along instructions on where to go.

Before the quartet left, the old man grabbed her arm. He had been the brave soul to call out to her, and he wished to share some last piece of information.

"Under the stairs you came down is another cell, but it's hidden. I think there's someone else in it." He said.

Bianca nodded before signaling him to go. She made her way back to the stairs and began to poke and prod the wood paneling that held them up. She gave a knock.

"Is anyone there?"

No answer came, but if anything Bianca had learned that silence was a better indication of life around here than an answer. She reeled back for a moment before punching right through the wood. Her fist immediately collided with, what felt like, glass. Fortunately, it did not shatter, but it left Bianca confused. She began to tear apart the rest of the wall until she exposed to what little light there was a sight that she doubted anyone in the North Blue had seen aside from these sickening slave owners.

The glass was not a mirror or window, but a large fishbowl for lack of a better term. And in the faint light Bianca could make out a figure submerged in water. They seemed to be quite like Bianca, but something quickly pointed out the differences between them. Along the neck of the figure were sets of gills, and its hands and feet were webbed. This was no human, but a fishman. Or rather, fishwoman.


	4. A Basement Discussion

The fishwoman was still silent, but looked at the intruder with both curiosity and hatred. Bianca wasn't surprised by the second emotion. Not only did fishmen already have a well-known, and well deserved, prejudice against humans, but this poor woman had also been enslaved by the very people she must have hated. Bianca could empathize with that.

"Hey." Bianca said. "You look like you've had a rough go."

The fishwoman only kept up her silent gaze.

"I know you probably don't trust me." Bianca continued. "But I'm here to set you free. I'm not with those humans who put you here."

A flash of curiosity crossed the fishwoman's face, but nothing more.

Bianca approached the glass bowl and ran her hand across its surface. The top of the bowl was open to let in air, but the opening was so small it hardly mattered. She couldn't break it without using her ability, but she needed to save that for later. She would have to get this fishwoman to agree to come free first.

"My name's Bianca. I'm a pirate." She said.

The look on the fishwoman's face changed again to one of skepticism. Bianca could only smile.

"It's true." She said. "I mean, sure, I don't have a crew yet, but I'm as much of a pirate as anyone else."

"You don't look like one." The fishwoman said.

"Oh good, you can talk." Bianca replied, but then stopped short. "Why does everyone say that I don't look like a pirate? I don't think I look too bad."

The fishwoman just looked at her, but now her gaze was more quizzical than angry.

Bianca stared back at her for a moment.

"You want to escape, don't you?" She said.

The fishwoman took a moment, but nodded.

"Good. We'll have to work together to break this thing then. And we should probably hurry; I'm sure the marines will be here soon, and a lot of people are waiting upstairs for their freedom too." Bianca said.

The fishwoman sat up in her bowl.

"What happens after you free me?" She said, warily.

Bianca looked her dead in the eyes, but her face was one of confusion.

"What do you mean?" She said.

"Don't play dumb." The fishwoman snarled. "Humans always want something."

Bianca took a moment to think about this. She had assumed this woman had been through some terrible experiences with humans, but perhaps she had assumed too little. She knew that humans could be cruel, but had this fishwoman experienced a cruelty she had yet to see?

"I don't want anything, except for you to consider something." Bianca finally replied.

The fishwoman was clearly taken aback by her words. Humans were meant to be her enemy, but this new one seemed different from all those she had met.

"And what request is that?" She asked with a reserved tone.

"I don't know what it is about you, but something tells me you're strong." Bianca began.

"Of course I am. And don't you forget that!" The fishwoman interrupted.

Bianca nodded, but continued.

"So my request for your consideration is thus. Join my crew and sail the seas with me as a pirate." She said.

An eerie silence fell over the room, as if time itself had stopped. The fishwoman couldn't believe what she had just heard. Surely she wasn't serious.

"Quit joking around!" She screamed. "What kind of fool do you take me for? A human and a fishman working together as pirates? Don't make me laugh."

Bianca stared at her, and anyone could see the look of determination in her eyes.

"I'm not joking." She said.

Suddenly, the rage on the fishwoman's face disappeared.

"I don't care what species you are, and I don't care what anyone else says." She continued. "Right now, I'm here to free you. Whether you join my crew or not is up to you. But I don't care if you're a fishman. Now let's bust this bowl."

She spoke no more words, and simply readied a punch.

The fishwoman was silent, and made no move to help. She couldn't believe her eyes. This stranger had shown up and freed the slaves, and now she wanted to help someone who wasn't a human like her. Not only that, but she wanted her to join her crew. Had the world gone mad?

"Any time now." Bianca called.

The fishwoman snapped back to reality. She stared at Bianca for a moment, and then placed her hands upon the glass. She gave Bianca a nod.

With all her natural might, Bianca heaved a punch right into the glass. At the same time, unbeknownst to her savior, the fishwoman created a surge of water under her palms strong enough to break a normal man in half. As the forces collided on either side of the glass their combined strength caused a ripple of cracks to appear on the surface. As each pulled away the cracks began to grow larger, until they finally burst and caused the entire bowl to collapse.

The fishwoman spilled out onto the floor, but recovered quickly. She towered over Bianca by at least two feet as she stood, but Bianca was not intimidated much to her surprise. Instead, the young woman held out her hand.

"Otto Bianca, nice to meet you." She said.

The fishwoman tentatively took her hand in her own.

"Alphyne." She said, curtly.

"Good to meet you, Alphyne. Ready to cause some trouble?" Bianca asked.

Alphyne nodded, and at the idea a smile appeared on her face exposing a row of sharp teeth.

Bianca smiled as well, but when her mind turned to business she had a thought.

"You don't need a weapon, do you?" She asked.

"No. I just need my hands and feet." Alphyne replied.

Bianca was glad that was the case. She herself didn't really need a weapon either, but she had always preferred it when she had one back home. Being without her halberd put her at a disadvantage in combat since she couldn't totally utilize her abilities yet.

"Alright then. The rest of the people I freed should be waiting upstairs." She said.

With that the duo took off up the flight back to the main floor. Once there they found Alice standing with all of the other slaves in the foyer. A few of them seemed shaken, but all things considered they were all okay. Alice waved Bianca over while Alphyne stood by the doorway.

"Things don't seem good, lady." Alice said. "The marines are outside already."

Bianca sidled over to the door and took a look out its window panel to find that there were indeed around forty marines standing rank and file outside. That was a significantly larger number than she had faced before, but with Alphyne at her side they surely had a good chance of making it out alive. She returned to Alice and knelt down beside her.

"Okay, Alice, I want you to take everyone around back and get them as far away as possible. My new friend and I will hold off the marines while you make your escape." She said.

Alice looked like she wanted to protest, but the old man from the basement took hold of her shoulder before she could. He gave her a soft look, but clearly Alice knew what was meant. She gave Bianca a hug before leading the rest of the slaves towards the back of the manor. Bianca then turned to Alphyne.

"Ready?" She asked.

"I'm always ready to fight humans." Alphyne replied with a crack of her knuckles.

Bianca grinned, she knew she was going to like this one.


	5. Power Revealed, and the New Challenger

The marines outside stood with their rifles aimed at the doors to the manor house. A scrambling businessman had come to the base minutes prior and informed them that someone had attacked Lord Ostin down the road. Due to his status, this prompted an immediate response from the base commander who sent forty of his best men to handle the situation. While the commander had little respect for the lords who lived on the cliff he hated paperwork far more. However, none of the marines had expected resistance quite like the kind they found.

It had begun with the breaking down of the door from the inside. Low and behold two combatants, a woman and a fishwoman leapt from within the building and confronted the marines.

"Hello boys." Bianca said. "If you put your weapons down now we won't have to beat the snot out of you."

Of course, none of the marines took that quite well. On the correct assumption that this was the woman who had assaulted the lord, and the fishwoman was an escaped slave, they opened fire immediately. Ten men fired their rifles, and ten more followed suit, but no shot hit its mark. The two women were much too smart for that, and had moved to the sides and rushed the company from both ends.

Bianca entered the left side of the column of men with a flying kick right in the face of one marine. His body flew over his comrades, and before they could even react she planted a punch in the chest of another to her left. At this point the marines had managed to regain their senses and quickly drew their swords in an attempt to deal with their opponent head on.

On the other end of the mass, Alphyne was moving around the battlefield as if it were her natural element. To her, humans were hardly an issue thanks to her strength that dwarfed their own. One marine attempted to charge her with his cutlass, but she deftly dodged the strike and pressed her palm into his chest.

"Fishman Karate: Torrent Palm!" She shouted.

At once, water from the atmosphere coalesced along her palm and impacted against the man's chest. His body crashed into multiple marines standing behind him causing them to tumble over in a heap. Those nearby who hadn't been knocked onto their butts were looking at the fishwoman with horror on their faces. None of them had ever even seen a fishman before, and now they were supposed to fight one who used techniques no one had even heard of.

Alphyne took advantage of this fear, and pressed her attack with a roundhouse kick into the marine on her right. Landing on her palm she spun around and kicked marine on her left in the legs causing him to fall where she knocked him out with a quick punch.

Bianca was having a more difficult time with her opponents by that point. She had never fought so many people before, and without her traditional weaponry she was at a greater disadvantage. With every marine she punched out of her way a new one would sprout up ready to take her down with his blade. Upon seeing this from across the way Alphyne laughed.

"Do you need help, human?" She called.

Bianca socked another marine with a haymaker, and gave Alphyne a dirty look.

"Please, I'm just getting warmed up." She replied.

A marine suddenly dove at her from above with his sword set to impale her.

"Warm up on this, scum!" He cried.

Bianca rolled out of the way just in time as the sword came crashing down into the dirt. Things were getting quite a bit more intense, but it was nothing she couldn't handle despite what Alphyne had said. She still had the trick she had been saving until this very moment.

She jumped back a few feet and lowered herself near to the ground. Alphyne tossed a marine out of the way and turned back to look at her compatriot, and what she saw surprised her more than anything today. Many of the marines who remained standing were also frozen by the sight. Before their very eyes Bianca began to grow snow white fur that covered her entire body. Her physiology drastically changed in a mere instant until she was more canine than human. She was as tall as three men, her teeth as large as knives, and her eyes a harrowing black that stood out against the surrounding color. She looked down at the marines with a sort of contempt as if she no longer felt the need to see them as a threat.

"So, who's first?" She growled, her voice like breaking stones.

None of the marines stepped forward, and some even dropped their swords. It was hard enough to deal with the fishwoman, but fighting a devil fruit user like Bianca was something none of them had expected. On an island like this there was hardly anyone who had ever even seen a devil fruit, and aside from their commander they weren't even sure if anyone had ever fought someone who had a power. Alphyne, on the other hand, was laughing like this was the funniest joke she had ever heard.

"Well, well, human. I didn't think you had something like that in you." She said in between laughs.

Bianca smiled a toothy grin. She kept this power hidden most of the time simply due to how much energy it drained, but she always loved to use it. The praise only made her more excited.

"My word, that is certainly an interesting transformation." A new voice said.

Bianca looked past the marines to see a figure standing behind them. When the rank and file turned around as well they immediately cleared a path and stood at attention. Now that the two aggressors could see the newcomer clearly they could tell that he was the man in charge. Alphyne snorted at the lower ranked soldiers as they barely held together their own formation. Clearly they were beaten, but some almost seemed hopeful now.

The man that the marines were saluting stepped forward. His white coat fluttered in the slight breeze, and as he walked he stroked his grey beard with an almost sagely air about him. His eyes were focused entirely on Bianca save for a few glances towards Alphyne. He stopped only a few feet away from the apparent devil fruit user, and continued to admire her. Alphyne took a few steps towards him on the right, but was wary enough to not get too close. Bianca held her ground before the commander, but was careful not to make many moves either. She had no clue what this man was capable of, and didn't intend to find out wrong way.

"I assume you've eaten a devil fruit, girl." The aged commander said. "What was it, if I may ask."

Bianca was unsure whether to respond at first, but she put aside her reservations for the moment. This man was willing to speak before he dealt blows, and that made him worth returning the favor.

"The Dog Dog Fruit, Fenrir Model." She replied.

The man's eyes widened for a moment.

"The wolf who eats gods. How interesting." He exclaimed. "To find a mythical zoan in these waters is rare indeed. How did you come across it?"

"I stole it from the house of a Celestial Dragon." Bianca said.

"A hefty risk to take for something like that, wouldn't you say?" The commander questioned.

"It was better I have it." Bianca replied. "He would have hurt a lot of people with it."

The elder marine continued to stroke his beard. He had no doubt that this girl was truthful in that regard. The Celestial Dragons did tend to be cruel individuals, and using a devil fruit to cause harm to others was one of their tamer offenses he had heard of.

"What is your name, child?" He asked.

Bianca did not respond quickly. She wasn't sure if providing her true name was wise. Sure, she was bound for the life of a pirate, but punching nobles tended to get one in more trouble than they expected.

"Forgive me." The commander said, suddenly. "I did not consider how rude it must be to ask for the name of another without first offering one's own name in turn."

He offered her a slight bow of his head.

"I am Captain Leon, resident commander of the marine base stationed up the hill." He offered.

Bianca was taken aback by the captain's own courtesy. Surely he meant it only as a formality, but she felt a sort of respect coming from him as well. Marines did come in all stripes after all, she knew that, but this seemed different altogether.

"Otto Bianca, pirate." She said.

Captain Leon nodded, and turned to Alphyne.

"And you, miss?" He said.

Alphyne hesitated as well, both perturbed by this man's openness and his manners towards her. Today was just full of humans being far nicer to her than she expected.

"Alphyne, former slave." She replied.

The captain's face grew a shadow at that response, but he recovered.

"I am deeply sorry for such circumstances to have befallen you, Alphyne. I did not realize these nobles had been keeping slaves in their homes." He said.

Both fighters were shocked by the words, and, judging by their faces, so were the marines. While the worst secret kept on the seas was the existence of the slave trade it was not so common that one might find it here in the North Blue. Still, to hear a marine captain apologize to an escaping slave who had just beat his own men into the dirt was something no one would expect.

Captain Leon turned back to Bianca.

"I take it you came here to free this woman." He said.

"Not just her, but all of them. I won't say how many, but the others have already escaped." Bianca said.

The captain nodded. He had expected as much, and was glad to hear that the poor souls had been set free. That only left the present matter to deal with.

"Well then," He began. "I suppose you two are the issue I must deal with. Despite your intentions, you have still assaulted my men, and left quite a few of them with injuries. I'm afraid I can't turn a blind eye to such actions."

"I wouldn't expect you too." Bianca said. Alphyne grunted a confirmation as well.

"I'm glad you see it that way, Ms. Bianca." Captain Leon said. "So, shall we do battle?"

Bianca dropped back into her low stance, and readied herself.

"Sure, as long as it's just you and me." She said.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." The captain replied.

In a motion faster than one would expect from an aged soldier like himself he had tossed away his coat and revealed a physique that seemed like it belonged more to a thirty-year-old. His muscles rippled with strength, and Bianca found herself quite impressed.

"At your ready, Ms. Bianca." Captain Leon challenged with a smile.


	6. Struggle Against the Lion

Bianca didn't need an invitation; she already wanted to test her might against the captain. His strength would surely put her own to the test. She waved off Alphyne who took a few steps back to give the combatants enough space to duel. With her out of danger Bianca charged in with greater speed than most people had ever been able to witness. Even Alphyne had trouble tracking her in the state she was in, but Captain Leon had no issue. Even in her half-wolf form he was still able to keep up with her speed.

When she swung a clawed strike at his head he easily deflected the strike with his sword. The metal rang against Bianca's claws with a sound that made those in attendance wonder if the blade might break. Captain Leon didn't wait for it to do so, and instead leapt back a short distance in order to level his sword with Bianca's abdomen and made an attempt to pierce her with another hop forward.

Bianca batted away the sword with her right claws, but took note of the man's speed. She was having to exert herself in order to keep up with it, and that didn't bode well. She had only been practicing in her hybrid form for two years, and she wasn't sure if she could do much better than she was at the moment. Despite this, she pressed a new attack. She took hold of the captain's sword in her paw and tried to pull him in for a swipe with her left hand.

The captain seemed to anticipate this move, and instead let go of his sword. He knew he could not compete with the girl's strength, but he might yet outmaneuver her. Ducking low he attempted to hit with a strong punch to her exposed solar plexus.

Bianca felt the wind leave her body as the punch connected, and immediately pain flowed through her. The old man was tougher than most, and his punches packed a whole lot of power behind them. She made a reckless attempt to swing at his head again, but he only reflected her strike. At the same time, he managed to wrestle his sword from her grip with a palm strike to her shoulder as he closed the distance. Once his weapon was back in his possession he moved back a few paces.

Bianca let out a few heavy breaths. She hadn't faced a serious opponent in this form before. Captain Leon was putting her up against the ropes at this rate, but she couldn't let him win. With a ferocious growl she made a move to the man's left, but disappeared as she did so. Her speed in this form was extremely impressive, but making such shifts left her drained of energy. With the risky move made she seemingly appeared on his right side and landed a devastating punch into his ribs.

Captain Leon was surprised by the speed, but more surprised by the pain. It had been a long time since he had taken a hit, and his opponent had the strength of a fighter far more experienced than herself. He attempted to twist his sword to stab at her, but his strike only hit air. The girl had disappeared yet again.

This time, she appeared in front of him, and took advantage of his exposed form to unleash a double palm strike into his chest. The impact was heavy, quite unexpectedly so.

"Double Paw Hammer!" Bianca shouted.

The attack pushed the captain back quite a few feet, and when he managed to find his stability again he could feel the pain welling up in his body. The girl was tougher than he imagined, and he had very little doubt she could win this fight if he did not try harder.

"Well done." He said. "You've come farther than any pirate before you."

Bianca smirked.

"But the battle isn't over yet." He finished.

The captain proceeded to sheathe his sword, but maintained a hold on the grip. Bianca took a half step back and held up her arms in order to defend herself. Captain Leon narrowed his eyes, and in an instant he was inches away from Bianca. His speed was incalculable, and even Bianca could not keep up. In an instant he had appeared behind her with his sword drawn, and as he sheathed it he spoke.

"Shimmering Lion."

As the hilt hit the sheath a large gash appeared on Bianca's chest. She cried out in pain and dropped to one knee. She had never seen such speed before, and the power behind the strike had not been lessened by it. She turned her head to look at the old man. She couldn't understand how he had performed such a feat.

"You fought well. But with an injury like that you cannot continue on." Captain Leon said.

Bianca grunted and tried to stand up, but found the pain too great. Alphyne started to take a few steps forward, but Bianca held out her hand. She would not let another fall alongside her if she could prevent it.

"Get up." She muttered to herself.

Again and again she made this mantra known until she could feel it in her core. She reminded herself that she had come too far to fall now, and that like any test she would pass this one. Defeat was not something she would experience today, and she refused to give in to this pain. She would become someone, and experience things no one had ever seen before. She would travel the seas with her crew, and she would make her mark on the world. She would not give in to this man no matter how nice he was.

Through the agony screaming in her muscles she stood, and she faced her for once more with a confident smile.

"Why don't you try that again, old man?" She said, defiantly.

Captain Leon readied himself, but he was saddened to some extent. He had no wish to kill this girl, but there was no way she would survive another strike. However, if he let her go he would be removed from the marines and made a criminal himself. The situation was stacked against him.

As before, he made his move. The world felt still around him as he approached, but there was something different this time.

"Ragnarok Howl!"

All of the sudden a shockwave hit the captain like a sea train. His body flew back against his own momentum, and he collided with the manor behind him. He could hear the howling of a wolf nearby, but his hearing was so shaken that he was unsure if it was real. Pain shot through him, and he found himself too beaten to even move save for his head. He managed to look up from the ground and saw that his men had been thrown back as well, and the fishwoman too. Only Bianca remained unaffected. She was breathing heavily, and had reverted back to her human state.

She approached the captain slowly, clutching her chest to halt the bleeding. He knew she had beaten him, and wondered if this was where she would show a side of herself she had not before. Would she kill him simply to gain infamy? He could not tell, and simply waited.

When she finally stood at his side she looked down upon him. The captain looked up, holding onto consciousness despite his injuries. Bianca held herself back to keep her blood from dripping onto him.

"I'm impressed, captain." She said. "You forced me to use my trump card."

The captain smiled faintly, "Did I? Then I suppose these old bones are worth something still."

Bianca nodded, and spoke again. "I haven't even begun to get to the level you're at, if it weren't for my devil fruit you probably would have beaten me. I thank you for teaching me more about how to fight. Thanks to you, I'll be able to protect my crew when I meet them."

Captain Leon laughed, but had a coughing fit in response.

"There are more powerful people than me just in this sea, Ms. Bianca. You realize this, yes?" He wheezed.

"Of course, and I'll get stronger by fighting them too." She replied as if it were only normal.

The captain was floored. He had not seen such determination since his youth, and to find it in a pirate of all people was unexpected. Yet, he found himself smiling. This girl was far different from anyone he knew, for she was a part of the next generation, and the old could hardly comprehend the young.

"I suppose you will." He said.

Bianca helped the old man up despite her own struggles, and carefully walked him over to his men who were beginning to recover. The marines took their commander quickly, and were ready to arm themselves for another battle, but Captain Leon stopped them.

"That's enough, men. Both parties are out of stamina, and it would be foolish to start another fight." He said.

"But sir," One marine responded. "They attacked a noble."

"Indeed they did." The captain replied. "But we have wounded to tend to, and I doubt any of you are ready to fight them. Collect the injured and return to base, that's an order."

The marines were clearly relieved despite their comments, and quickly gathered those who were hurt. Bianca watched them march off, and at once she knew the old man had saved her life. He could have easily called for reinforcements to wipe his targets of the map, but he had spared her.

"I'll repay this to you one day, old man!" She called, ignoring the pain from shouting.

She saw a hand go up among the retreating marines, a thumbs up from the old man. She smiled widely, she had made a friend.


	7. A Doctor in the House

Bianca and Alphyne had made their way slowly back into town, but once on its outskirts they realized they didn't have much of an idea as to where to go next. They still had no ship, and there was little chance of anyone being willing to sell them one. There was also the issue of clothing. Despite being easily pushed off earlier, Alphyne had no clothes to speak of but the rags she had been wearing since she became a slave. Bianca could also see the mark of the Celestial Dragons burned into her back which would immediately make her a target.

Alphyne didn't seem to mind her brand at all, and pointed out that the other slaves would have the same mark.

"They'll have to head to the village too, human. If there's a bunch of slaves running around why should I be worried about myself." She protested.

"They have better clothing than you." Bianca insisted. "They can cover up their marks well since they needed to be presentable for any company. You were probably not going to be see so they didn't need to give you better clothes. Trust me, I've been around enough slaves to know how this works."

Alphyne grunted, but she had to admit that Bianca had a point. She agreed to remain on the outskirts while Bianca went into town to find her some clothes.

"After this, human, I hope you know that I have no obligation to stick with you." She reminded Bianca.

"Yeah," Bianca said. "I know. But something tells me you and I will be sticking together for a while."

With that she walked off, leaving Alphyne to ruminate on her words.

Once inside the town Bianca could see that the news from above had not reached the people. This was good, she didn't need any more trouble. She had managed to bandage up the wound from earlier with the scarf she wore around her neck, and she was desperately trying to keep the wound from gushing blood. Normally, her body would heal quickly thanks to her fruit, but thanks to the captain she had no energy left to commit to such an act.

Her first priority was to find a doctor. Knowing that one would be close to the docks she went there first. After struggling to ask a few dockhands she found that one did work only a block away from the port. With a heavy sigh she dragged herself to the clinic, only to find a line. She groaned loudly despite the pain, and groaned even louder when she saw that almost all of the people in line where there for basic ailments that they could treat at home.

"A pirate doesn't wait." She muttered.

With what little of her strength she had remaining, Bianca pushed her way through the line all the way to the front. No one dared stop her after they saw the slight trail of blood she was leaving behind. Once inside Bianca slammed her fist on the reception desk. The young man behind the desk seemed terrified once he saw her dark gaze.

"Doctor, now." She huffed.

The young man nodded and ran off into the back to find the doctor. A moment later a young woman in white appeared from a doorway. The receptionist was cowering behind her, but she was not fazed at all. She marched up to Bianca and matched her steely gaze.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

Bianca groaned again, and nearly lost her balance as well. The woman in white managed to catch her with one arm, and upon inspecting this supposedly terrifying individual, as her receptionist had told her, she could see the damage. The large laceration in the girl's chest was draining her blood at an alarming rate despite the makeshift bandage applied to it. The blue scarf was already turning violet with blood, and dripping at the ends. Underneath, Bianca's brown coat was shimmering red along with her white undershirt. Even her jeans had traces of blood on them.

"Thomas, close up the doors. I've seen all these people before, tell them to go home." The woman in white said to her receptionist.

The boy moved without hesitation and quickly began to herd the patients out while the woman dragged Bianca into the back room. Once there she daintily placed Bianca on a warm medical table which was surprising to the latter party considering how much she weighed. The woman in white couldn't have been more than a hundred and thirty, but she lifted Bianca, who was at least forty pounds heavier than that, like it was nothing.

The apparent doctor didn't seem to notice as she stripped Bianca's upper half to better survey the damage. The pirate didn't try to fight off the doctor, but her face turned a light shade of red at the sudden exposure.

The woman examined the wound like it was her own. She could tell that her patient had lost around twenty-five percent of their total blood volume, and more was slowly coming out. The injury was obtained via a sword, but she didn't have any knowledge of anyone with a large enough sword to cause a cut this large from shoulder to hip. Except for Captain Leo.

Not wasting any more time, the doctor grabbed her tools of the trade and began her work. Three rags, a spool of heavy thread, and a ruined coat later her patient was up and about like nothing had happened. She couldn't quite understand how this girl had such vigor after sustaining such an injury, but when she insisted that she lie down for at least a few hours she was flatly denied.

"Sorry, doc, can't stay. I have a friend in need right now, and I'm pretty sure she might dislocate my shoulders if I delayed for too long." Bianca said.

Just as she was about to rush out the door the doctor grabbed her arm.

"Now hold on a second!" She shouted.

Bianca stopped pulling and looked at the doctor with a curious expression.

"What?" She asked.

"You have sustained injuries that could have easily been fatal, as a doctor I cannot allow you to put yourself in further danger by rushing off." The doctor said.

Bianca gave thought to this. She did have a deadline, albeit a vague one, but she didn't want to ruin the stitches she had just received.

"Okay doc," She said. "Then there's only one solution."

"Yes, you need to lie down and rest." The doctor began.

"You're coming with me." Bianca interrupted.

"What?" The doctor said, before she was pulled out the door in her bloodied coat as if it were her Sunday best.

Bianca rubbed her head gently. She could still feel the pain from the blow the doctor, or Yofie as she preferred to be called, had dealt to her skull. She hadn't been very pleased with Bianca's apparent rudeness, and felt the need to correct her behavior posthaste. But, after a brief apology and introduction Yofie had agreed to come with her. Now she wouldn't have to worry about collapsing in the middle of the street, and bleeding out.

Yofie, on the other hand, was quite displeased at the unexpected turn of events that were now shaping her day. It had been rather exciting to treat her first real patient since her joining the staff of the dockside clinic, but the consequences for doing so were turning out to be more difficult than she expected.

Bianca had told her that they needed to find the biggest shirt and pants for her friend, but that she wouldn't need shoes. The request for discretion was also odd, but being a doctor, Yofie knew she could fulfill it. She wasn't totally sure why she was helping this girl, but something almost drew her in without her even realizing it.

Bianca had managed to find a fitting shirt despite the concerns of the shopkeeper whom she purchased it from. It was only a dark blue tank top, but it would fit Alphyne well based on her predictions. The pants were proving difficult to find, however.

"Hey Yofie." She said.

The doctor beside her diverted her attention from the shops around her to look at her patient.

"Yes, Bianca?" She responded.

"Don't you know any stores around here that sell bigger pants? None of the ones I've seen will fit my friend." Bianca said.

Yofie had to give it some thought. She had only moved to Metris Island, the name which she provided to Bianca upon her asking, a few months prior. She hadn't had time to do any real shopping so her intelligence on the matter was limited.

"Well," She began. "I think I heard something a while ago about a tailor by the name of Gilgo on the east side of town."

The news had been passed down to her when she had first moved in, but since she had had everything she needed for her profession Yofie hardly had need of such information.

Bianca smiled. She had known this doctor would be a great help. She had always been a good judge of character, and it was nice to see this was still paying off. To some extent, she was getting the same vibes from Yofie as she had received from Alphyne, and this only made her want to get to know her more. After all, every ship needs a doctor.


End file.
